Mass. unemployment rate stable at 3.5%

For the seventh straight month, the state's unemployment rate has remained level at 3.5 percent, the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development announced Friday.

The state added an estimated 6,100 jobs in April, including 5,900 jobs in the private sector.

Last month's unemployment rate was 0.4 percentage points lower than the nation's average rate of 3.9 percent.

The state added jobs in five different private sector industry groups, including 3,100 in education and health services; 2,500 in professional, scientific and business services; 1,300 in financial activities and 100 in trade, transportation and utilities.

Areas where jobs were lost over the month include construction (1,300), manufacturing (300), leisure and hospitality (900), information (400) and manufacturing (300).

Year over year, the state has added an estimated 47,600 jobs, and the state's unemployment rate has decreased from 3.9 percent to 3.5 percent since last April.

That job gain includes an estimated 19,200 jobs added to the professional, business and scientific services industry.